Vegan Guide to Madison, Wisconsin

When you think of vegan-friendly cities, Madison might not be at the top of your list. Vegan food in the heart of dairy country? I think that you might be pleasantly surprised by all the vegan-friendly places in Madison —I know that was very surprised on my visit there last month.

My vegan guide to Madison, Wisconsin will cover all the places that I went to on my trip. I wasn’t able to check out all the vegan-friendly places in Madison. It’s always great when there are more than two places that have vegan options!

After a long day of travel, I was starving. After checking into the hotel, Phoebe and I headed to The Green Owl Cafe for dinner. Their patio is dog-friendly, so I was able to bring Phoebe along with me.

The Green Owl Cafe is Madison’s only vegetarian and vegan restaurant. Here you’ll find that both vegan and meat-eaters will be satisfied.

It was a hard choice deciding what to order, but the Crabby Cake Po’boy stood out. Vegan crab cakes served on a toasted roll with a chipotle remoulade. For my side, I went with the kale crisps. Such a delicious meal. The crab cakes were so and flavorful.

I couldn’t resist ordering dessert. I went with the vegan vanilla cheesecake and it was out of this world. It reminded me so much of the dairy filled cheesecake that I use to love growing up. I highly recommend saving room for dessert!

Great Dane Pub has multiple locations around the city. After doing a little research, I read many recommendations for visiting their downtown location. After visiting the pub located in 40 year-old “Fess Hotel” building, I can see why. The building was so neat to explore. It also happens to be on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Of course, I had to try some of their craft beers. I ordered a flight and selected the beers from their current taps list. I must say that I was a fan of all the beer—something that doesn’t happen all that time.

For lunch I ordered the High Point Harvest Bowl. The bowl had the perfect balance of flavors. The base of the bowl was a combination of brown rice and red quinoa. The grains were topped with veggies, dried apricots, sesame tofu and dressed with an orange ginger dressing. I loved everything about this bowl!Location: 123 E. Doty Street Madison, WI 53703- (608) 284-0000

After checking out one of the local breweries, I headed to Tex Tubb’s Taco Palace for some vegan nachos! If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that I have this thing for vegan nachos. Nachos are definitely one of my guilty pleasures.

There are quite a few vegan options on the menu, but I still had to satisfy my nacho craving. Perfect way to end the night!

Before leaving Madison, I stopped at Gotham Bagelsfor breakfast. It had been along time since I had a bagel with cream cheese. At Gotham Bagels, you’ll find NYC style hand rolled bagels. Just the way a bagel should be made.

There are a few vegan cream cheese options at Gotham Bagels. I ordered the Original V bagel which had a scallion tofu spread, poblano peppers, tomato, arugula, and avocado. I got the bagel to-go since there wasn’t any outdoor space to sit with Phoebe. It was messy, but delicious!

On the way home from Madison, I just had to stop at Pig Minds Brewing in Machesney Park, IL. I have a vegan restaurant bucket list that just keeps growing. One restaurant that has been on my list for awhile is Pig Minds Brewing— a 100% vegan restaurant and brewery! When I realized that the restaurant was on my way home from Madison, I just had to stop.

Their outdoor patio is dog-friendly, so I was able to bring Phoebe with me!

I ordered their beer flight, which included a sample of all of their beers. It was probably the biggest beer flight that I have every had before. Don’t worry, I didn’t finish all of the samples. It is just nice to be able to taste all of the different beers.

For my meal, I ordered the Oyster Mushroom Po’Boy Sandwich with fries. This is amazing It was also so spicy! I was so happy that I was finally to eat here. Highly recommend taking a detour here if you are traveling through Illinois and Wisconsin.

Location: 4080 Steele Dr., Machesney Park, IL 61115

I feel in love with Madison. I could definitely see myself living there one day. I loved the vibe of the college town and the plethora of vegan options available. Too see more of my trip to Madison, watch my travel vlog below!

What a fun getaway! It’s been way too long since I’ve been to Madison. I adore Pig Minds Brewery. I would be there all the time if I lived in Machesney. Also, I’ve never had mac and cheese on a pizza. I feel like I need to make up for this gap ASAP.